There are many reasons for Jacksonville Jaguars fans to be optimistic about defensive lineman Travon Walker, but one of the biggest may be the fact that he came from an elite Georgia program. While the Bulldogs were able to win the 2022 national championship in January, they’ve long been an elite program and have sent several good players to the NFL.
In Walker’s case, the elite player mentality that he developed under Kirby Smart and Co. is already showing in the NFL. In Monday’s press conference with Doug Pederson, the first-year Jags coach told the media that Walker has looked like a true pro so far and has shown a perfectionist mentality early in his NFL career.
“He’s been doing really well,” Pederson said of Walker. “He’s been in here all last week and really embracing the role, obviously been working at the one position and doing extremely well. He’s such a pro. He’s so hard on himself. He doesn’t want to make a mistake and you just have to tell him, ‘Hey, just calm down, relax, everything’s going to be okay. We have plenty of time before we play a game.’ But you like players like that who are critical of themselves and their performance because they want to do well, and he’s been one of those guys.”
Walker has entered a situation in Jacksonville where he will be learning an outside linebacker position that he didn’t play extensively in college. That said, there could be somewhat of a learning curve for him, but it seems he’s working hard to be as polished as possible come Week 1 of the regular season.
When many expected the Jags to take edge rusher, Aidan Hutchinson, last month, they went with Walker instead because of the physical traits he offered over the former prospect. Playing for a program like Georgia likely helped his case, too, and the Jags may be banking on that helping make his transition to the NFL quicker.
